Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
As we grow up and face challenges in our lives, we realize that ‘friends’ are there as long as everything is going well. When we face difficulties, very few friends will remain. Other versions of this verse read “ a brother is born to help in time of need”; “for times of trouble”; “for a difficult time”; “proved in distress”.
There is a popular saying that says “Blood is thicker than Water’. Meaning family. Our friends can come in and out of our lives; not our family. Neither can we completely disconnect from our immediate family: our mother, father, brother, sister. Likewise, we belong to God’s family. We have the same Father, and through the precious blood of Jesus, we all become brothers and sisters in Christ.
Jesus is our perfect friend and brother.
As a friend, He loves us at all times, just as we are. He loves us when we turn our backs to Him, when we forget about Him, when we are tempted, when we are in distress and pain, whether we are poor or rich, He is our friend regardless of the circumstance we are in.
As a brother, He became man like us, through his blood we are adopted into a family of countless members, yet, He knows precisely who we are. As a brother and man, Jesus feels our pain, our sufferings, when people neglect and despise us, when we suffer injustice, when we loose our loved ones.
Jesus never leaves us or forsakes us, He is our ever present help in time of need, He is always there for us, He is our perfect friend and brother.
